The Brookhaven leader., 1887-06-02
THE NATIONAL DRILL

An Interesting Day on the Drill Ground at
WashIngton-The battalion Contest
A Signal Triumph for the Louisville Le-
gion-The Individual Drlll-Result OF the
Rife Contest-Greenbacks for the Win
nerA
WASHINGTON, May 27.-The fourth day
Of the National drill was ushered in to
fair but threatening weather. When at
ten O'Clock the indianapolis Light lnfan-
try filed into the grounds fully eight
thousand people greeted them with ap-
plause. The company was put through
the manual, which it performed in very
creditable manner.
The indianapolis boys were followed BY
! the Alexandra Light Infantry.
The Jackson Rifles came next, and were
well received
The Molineaux Rifles, iof Brooklyn, n.
Y, followed, and went through the difer'
snt military movements in manner that
| showed they were we'll up in the tactics.
1t was, however. reserved for the Bel
knap Rifles, of San Antonio, Tex. TO cap
| ture tha hearts Of the large audience.
| This company vent through the difficult
military movements with such precision
.hat each movement drew forth raptur-
| Gus applsuse. In the manual OF arms this
company Appealed 20 come the nearest OF
any to the apparent perfection exhlolted
by the Toledo Cadets yesterday.
| The San Antonio rifles, next en- the
| programme, were well received, aud
| were followed by the Crack Lomax
| Rifles, Of Mobile. The latter company
did very well indeed. and surely crowded
| the Belknaps and Toledo boys pretty
| hard; but those who make military tao,
| tics study say that there appears to be
no doubt about the Ohioans still being in
| the lead.
The Sheridan Rifles Of New Hampshire
| concluded the days company contests.
! They went through the manual in good
shane, and their marching was creditable,
| although not equal 10 that Of the Lomax
| Rifles, who gave decidedly the best exhi-
| bition of the day.
| The battalion competition then com
| menced, and tor the first time in the
| history of the militia Of this country,
| three crack battalions, the Fifth Rh ode
| Island, the Louisville Legion and the
| Washington Light Infantry, were to con-
| test for supremacy. The Rhode Island
| battalion, Colonel Moran, drilled FIRST, but
| owing to the fact that their Colonel
| had been absent from his com
| mand for months, did not do themselves
| justice, and will not get prize. The
Louisville Legion, Majors Coen and Kelly
came next in superb uniforms, and IN ter
| minutes less than the schedule time, exc
cuted every movement of the programme,
with precision and skill that eiciteC
almost constant applause Army officers
who inspected the Legion expressed them
selves as astonished at the perfect coudi-
ton Of the uniforms, guns and equip
ments of this command.
| The Washington boys followed the
Legion, and presented fine appearance
but at the start several costly errors or
| the part of the officers seemed to show
| that they we're not quite up to the Ken
lucky men Their loss of distances, ant
| failure to support arms after ployments
soon told against them, and 1t looked a
the conclusion Of the drill as though thu
battallons would rank. Legion first
Washington second, Rhode Island third.
After the drill Colonel Moran Of the
Rhode Island battalion called at the head
quarters of the Legion and te ndered hii
| congratulations to them, as, in his
opinion, the winners of the first prize.
Then followed the Individual drill OF
| fifty men, not more than two men from
any one company. This was an interest
ing exhibition of the manual of arms A!
fast as man was found in error he wa:
dropped from the ranks Finally, wher
| the competitors were reduced 10 Inre'
men, Herman G. Staacke, Of the Sal
Antonio Rifles, was called to the front, tht
first prize man; and the two others
Charles T. Conrad, of the Washington
Light Infantry, and James B. Wagner, o.
the Louisville Legion, continued the com
petition. Conrad was the next to be called
to the front as the second prize man,
leaving Wagner the third prize,
The closing event of the day was an ex-
hibition drill by the Lomax Rifles and the
Toledo Cadets Miss Mary c. Voss, the
sponsor of the Rifles, went on the field
and drilled the company in the manual
Vocferous cheering greeted the fair com
| mander, and her command as her orders
were given and executed, with celebrity
and precision.
The attendance was larger than on any
previous day, and last night every seat il
the spacious inclosure was occupied
while thousands of spectators thronget
the open space in front of it to witnes.
the Pyrorama.
The rife contests at the Arsenal range
were concluded yesterday. The score o.
the eight best shots was as follows: